Cell Phone Radiation – Part 2, The EWG Version
Before we begin, let us take a look into one research conducted by yet another organization who also shares this noble concern for the health of cell phone users around the world, the Environmental Working Group or EWG. Based at Washington DC, United States, this organization focuses on protecting public health and the environment, hence its concern for hazardous radiation emitting from cell phones. Using the power of mass publications to influence government officials or anyone with the power to create policies that would potentially save people’s health and the environment, the EWG conduct numerous researches on various related issues and publicized the results. About one particular research related to cell phone radiation, the EWG had this to say:
“We at Environmental Working Group are still using our cell phones, but we also believe that until scientists know much more about cell phone radiation, it’s smart for consumers to buy phones with the lowest emissions. The U.S. government ought to require cell phone companies to label their products’ radiation output so that consumers can do the numbers at the point of sale. It doesn’t, so EWG has created this user-friendly interactive online guide to cell phone emissions, covering over 1,000 phones currently on the market”
Like the FCC, they conducted research on radiation levels of cell phone models available in the market today. Only, the scale of EWG’s research was a tad larger at over 1000 models surveyed, according to the above statement. Here are their top-ten findings of cell phones with the highest levels of radiation.
No | Manufacturer/ Model | Radiation |
1 | T-Mobile MyTouch 3G | 1.55 W/kg |
2 | Blackberry Curve 8330 | 1.54 W/kg |
3 | Palm Treo 600 | 1.53 W/kg |
4 | T-Mobile Shadow | 1.53 W/kg |
5 | Palm Treo 650 | 1.51 W/kg |
6 | Blackberry Curve 8300 | 1.51 W/kg |
7 | Blackberry Bold 9000 | 1.51 W/kg |
8 | Sony Ericsson P910a | 1.50 W/kg |
9 | HTC SMT 5800 | 1.49 W/kg |
10 | BlackBerry Pearl 8120/8130 | 1.48 W/kg |
T-Mobile’s My Touch 3G ranked first in this list of high-radiation level cell phones from the EWG. Four Blackberry Models from Research In Motion, the Bold 9000, Curve 8300, Curve 8330, and the Pearl 8120/ 8130, are also listed along with two legendary models from Palm.
EWG broadened the scope of their research by also measuring radiation levels from older phone models that remain largely in use today. They found the following models of cell phones to be emitting the least amount of radiation:
No | Manufacturer/ Model | Radiation |
1 | Nokia 9300i | 0.21 W/kg |
2 | Nokia 7710 | 0.22 W/kg |
3 | T-Mobile MDA Wiza200 | 0.35 W/kg |
4 | Samsung Impression SGH-a877 | 0.35 W/kg |
5 | Nokia 9300 | 0.44 W/kg |
6 | Samsung Propel Pro SGH-i627 | 0.47 W/kg |
7 | Samsung Gravity SGH-t459 | 0.49 W/kg |
8 | BlackBerry Storm 9530 | 0.57 W/kg |
9 | Nokia E90 | 0.59 W/kg |
10 | Nokia N96 | 0.68 W/kg |
Five models from Nokia are listed in this top-ten category of low-radiation cell phones, the 9300i, 7710, 9300, E90, and N96, with the 9300i holding the number one spot. Three models from Samsung, the Impression SGH-a877, Propel Pro SGH-i627, and Gravity SGH-t459, are also included as well.
During their research, the EWG also managed to obtain radiation data from some of the most recent and popular cell phone models. We combed through the data and came up with this list, ranked from the least radiating to the most radiating of cell phone models. See if your phone is included:
No | Manufacturer / Model | Radiation |
1 | HTC Touch Pro | 0.91 W/kg |
2 | Palm Pre | 0.92 W/kg |
3 | iPhone | 0.97 W/kg |
4 | Samsung JACK i637 | 1.04 W/kg |
5 | T-Mobile’s Google G1 | 1.11 W/kg |
6 | Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220 | 1.14 W/kg |
7 | iPhone 3GS | 1.19 W/kg |
8 | Samsung BlackJack II SGH-i617 | 1.20 W/kg |
9 | Motorola MOTO Q9m | 1.30 W/kg |
10 | iPhone 3G | 1.39 W/kg |
11 | BlackBerry Tour 9630 | unknown |
While electromagnetic radiation is indeed dangerous to our health, people today simply cannot live without their cell phones. So, what can you do to avoid being harmed by something that is essential to your life? There are some ways actually, even if your phone emits a high-level electromagnetic radiation (according to cell phone standards), you can still do the following to negate or minimize the negative effects:
Use headsets or loudspeaker during conversations. Either one of these will set some distance between the cell phone and your head, thus reducing the intensity of electromagnetic radiation that would potentially be absorbed by your body. Use wired headsets, as their wireless cousins (such as Bluetooth headsets, for example) will only make matters worse by emitting even more RF radiation.
Using loudspeaker will contribute to reducing the overall radiation intensity, though it would definitely reduce your privacy as well. In addition, during conversation, listening more and talking less can further reduce the negative effects, according to one research.
Put the cell phone away when not in use: When you are not using your cell phone (e.g. while sleeping) , it is best to put it away from your body. This will effectively reduce the strength of radiation exposure. You can also utilize the phone while it is away by using other functions, such as the alarm clock to wake you up in the morning.
Use text messages instead of voice calls: If you want to deliver information to someone on the other end of the phone, text messages can sometimes be more effective compared to voice calls. Texting will also reduce the radiation intensity by consuming less power compared to traditional voice calls. Less power used means less radiation.
Turn off network signal when out of coverage: When you are somewhere outside the reach of your cellular network coverage, turning off your cell phone’s network signal will effectively cut off its radiation. Aside from that, it also helps saving the battery life.
Keep the cell phone away from small children: Since cell phone radiation is especially dangerous for younger people whose brains are still developing, it might be a good idea to keep it well beyond the reach of children.
Use low-radiation cell phones: Using cell phones that emit lesser radiation will reduce the health risk posed by prolonged use of these mobile communication devices. To check a specific cell phone’s radiation level prior to its purchase, you can visit EWG’s website at www.ewg.org
Technology advancements will sometimes bring about some additional risks to our health, but they do not necessarily have to be harmful. Even as we cannot avoid using cell phones in our daily activity, we can still do some preventative actions as described above to reduce the negative effects of their radiations. In the next article, we will go deeper on the effects of these radiation exposures to the human body. Stay tuned!
Original Article by: Sony Hanifudin
Translated by: Oik Yusuf